The Pittsburgh Penguins spent the first three months of the regular season looking tired, lethargic, blah.
Then the calendar flipped to January and the urgency the Penguins lacked for long stretches as they slogged through their opening 40 games returned. So did the goals. Now they’re coming bunches and so are the wins. And suddenly a legitimate shot at a three-peat doesn’t seem quite so far-fetched after all.
Phil Kessel scored twice and picked up an assist, Evgeni Malkin had two goals and two assists, and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions pulled away late for a 7-4 victory over the Washington Capitals on Friday night.
“Now we feel so much better, we enjoy playing,” Malkin said. “We know we can score so many goals.”
Bryan Rust, Carl Hagelin and Patric Hornqvist also scored as the Penguins won their fourth straight to draw within four points of first-place Washington in the crowded Metropolitan Division. Sidney Crosby had two assists to push his scoring streak to 11 games, the longest active streak in the NHL.
Wild 5, Golden Knights 2
In St. Paul, Minnesota, Eric Staal had two goals and an assist to lead the hosts past Vegas.
Charlie Coyle, Tyler Ennis and Jared Spurgeon also scored, Jonas Brodin had three assists and Matt Dumba added two to help the Wild win their second straight after the All-Star break.
Red Wings 4, Hurricanes 1
In Raleigh, Darren Helm had a goal and two assists, Petr Mrazek stopped 36 shots and Detroit beat Carolina.
Gustav Nyquist, Danny DeKeyser and Trevor Daley also scored for the Red Wings, who won their second straight after dropping six of eight.
Sharks 3, Blue Jackets 1
In Columbus, Kevin Labanc had a goal and an assist and Martin Jones stopped 28 shots to help San Jose snap a four-game losing streak.
The Sharks’ first two goals came on power plays, with Labanc getting a wide-open look at the net with a 5-on-3 advantage in the second period. Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for San Jose.